Davies pines for more LPGA starts

The folks over at LPGA headquarters had better get used to seeing one of those long London numbers lighting up the office switchboard. That would be Laura Davies, ringing to see if she’s in the field.

“In 26 years I’ve never been in this position before,” Davies told The Man Out Front. “It’s pretty awkward.”

That “position” of which she speaks would be 119th on last year’s money list, which means a couple of dozen players need to bow out of a few tournaments to give Davies some early starts.

“If your status isn’t high enough and you can’t get in tournaments, effectively you get pushed out the door,” she said.

And no one – certainly not any of this year’s rookies – wants to be on the other side of that door. Especially not the 50-year-old Davies.

The long-hitting Davies arrived on the LPGA scene in 1988 after having won the ’87 U.S. Women’s Open, and in 1994-96 finished 1-2-2 on the money list. It killed her to be commentating, and not competing, in last summer’s Solheim Cup. And though her last LPGA victory came in 2001, Davies firmly believes she’s still capable of winning.

“If I still think I’m a contender when I’m 60,” Davies told The Forecaddie, “then I’ll still play when I’m 60.”

Cheers to that. Davies typically spends 36 weeks per year on the road, so her offseason is spent at home in England playing football (the English variety), cycling and watching five big-screen Tvs in her spacious game room. She hasn’t taken a “holiday” in 26 years.

On Jan. 9, Davies planned to dust off her sticks and head to Australia, where she will play in five tournaments and a few pro-ams for her usual start to the year. At this point, the 20-time LPGA champion isn’t sure where she’ll begin her 27th season on the LPGA, but she plans to supplement her campaign with a half-dozen events on the Legends Tour and several in Europe.

She can’t put a finger on why her results have dipped of late, but she has no interest in slowing down.

As for the kids coming up behind her, Davies sees fantastic things ahead for England’s young teen sensation, Charley Hull.